APA Format Citation Guide

APA Format Citation Guide
(Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/guides/apa-citation-guide)
This is a complete guide to APA (American Psychological Association) in-text and reference list
citations. This easy-to-use, comprehensive guide makes citing any source easy.
Core Components of an APA Reference:
1. APA Referencing Basics: Reference List
A reference list is a complete list of references used in a piece of writing including the author name,
date of publication, title and more. An APA reference list must:
 Be on a new page at the end of the document

 Be centred
 Be alphabetically by name of first author (or title if the author isn’t known, in this case a, an
and the should be ignored)
o If there are multiple works by the same author these are ordered by date, if the works
are in the same year they are ordered alphabetically by the title and are allocated a
letter (a, b, c, etc.) after the date
 Contain full references for all in-text references used
2. APA Referencing Basics: In-Text Citation
In-text references must be included following the use of a quote or paraphrase taken from another
piece of work.
In-text citations are citations within the main body of the text and refer to a direct quote or
paraphrase. They correspond to a reference in the main reference list. These citations include the
surname of the author and date of publication only. Using an example author James Mitchell, this
takes the form:
Mitchell (2017) states… Or … (Mitchell, 2017).
The structure of this changes depending on whether a direct quote or parenthetical used:
 Direct Quote: The citation must follow the quote directly and contain a page number after the
date, for example (Mitchell, 2017, p.104). This rule holds for all of the variations listed.
 Parenthetical: The page number is not needed.
Two Authors:
The surname of both authors is stated with either ‘and’ or an ampersand between. For example:
Mitchell and Smith (2017) state… Or … (Mitchell & Smith, 2017).
Three, Four or Five Authors:
For the first cite, all names should be listed:
Mitchell, Smith, and Thomson (2017) state… Or …(Mitchell, Smith, & Thomson, 2017).
Further cites can be shorted to the first author’s name followed by et al:
Mitchell et al (2017) state… Or … (Mitchell et al, 2017).
Six or More Authors:
Only the first author’s surname should be stated followed by et al, see the above example.
No Authors:
If the author is unknown, the first few words of the reference should be used. This is usually the title
of the source. If this is the title of a book, periodical, brochure or report, is should be italicised. For
example:
(A guide to citation, 2017).
If this is the title of an article, chapter or web page, it should be in quotation marks. For example:
(“APA Citation”, 2017).
How to Cite a Book (Title, not chapter) in APA Format
Book referencing is the most basic style; it matches the template above, minus the URL section. So the
basic format of a book reference is as follows:
Examples:
Mitchell, J.A., Thomson, M., & Coyne, R.P. (2017). A guide to citation. London, England: My Publisher
Jones, A.F & Wang, L. (2011). Spectacular creatures: The Amazon rainforest (2nd ed.). San Jose, Costa
Rica: My Publisher
How to Cite an Edited Book in APA Format
This reference format is very similar to the book format apart from one extra inclusion: (Ed(s)). The
basic format is as follows:
Edited book example:
Williams, S.T. (Ed.). (2015). Referencing: A guide to citation rules (3rd ed.). New York, NY: My Publisher
How to Cite a Chapter in an Edited Book in APA Format
Edited books are collations of chapters written by different authors. To reference a single chapter, a
different format is needed. The basic structure is as follows:
Edited book chapter example:
In the following example, B.N. Troy is the author of the chapter and S.T. Williams is the editor.
Troy, B.N. (2015). APA citation rules. In S.T, Williams (Ed.). A guide to citation rules (2nd ed., pp. 50-
95). New York, NY: Publishers.
How to Cite an E-Book in APA Format
An E-Book reference is the same as a book reference expect the publisher is swapped for a URL. The
basic structure is as follows:
Author surname, initial(s) (Ed(s).*). (Year). Title (ed.*). Retrieved from URL
*optional.
E-Book example:
Mitchell, J.A., Thomson, M., & Coyne, R.P. (2017). A guide to citation. Retrieved from
https://www.mendeley.com/reference-management/reference-manager
How to Cite an E-Book Chapter in APA Format
This follows the same structure as an edited book chapter reference except the publisher is exchanged
for a URL. The structure is as follows:
Last name of the chapter author, initial(s). (Year). Chapter title. In editor initial(s), surname
(Ed.). Title (ed., pp.chapter page range). Retrieved from URL
E-Book chapter example:
Troy, B.N. (2015). APA citation rules. In S.T, Williams (Ed.). A guide to citation rules (2nd ed., pp. 50-
95). Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-management/reference-manager
How to Cite a Journal Article in Print or Online in APA Format
Articles differ from book citations in that the publisher and publisher location are not included. For
journal articles, these are replaced with the journal title, volume number, issue number and page
number. The basic structure is:
Journal Article Examples:
Mitchell, J.A. (2017). Citation: Why is it so important. Mendeley Journal, 67(2), 81-95
Mitchell, J.A. (2017). Citation: Why is it so important. Mendeley Journal, 67(2), 81-95. Retrieved
from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-management/reference-manager
How to Cite a Newspaper Articles in Print or Online in APA Format
The basic structure is as follows:
Author surname, initial(s). (Year, Month Day). Title. Title of Newspaper, column/section, p. or pp.
Retrieved from URL*
**Only include if the article is online.
Note: the date includes the year, month and date.
Newspaper Articles Example:

Mitchell, J.A. (2017). Changes to citation formats shake the research world. The Mendeley Telegraph,
Research News, pp.9. Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/reference-
management/reference-manager
How to Cite Magazine Articles in Print or Online in APA Format
The basic structure is as follows:
Author surname, initial(s). (Year, month day). Title. Title of the Magazine, pp.
Magazine Article Example:
Mitchell, J.A. (2017). How citation changed the research world. The Mendeley, pp. 26-28
How to Cite a Website in APA Format
When citing a website, the basic structure is as follows:
Author surname, initial(s). (Year, month day). Title. Retrieved from URL
Website example:
Mitchell, J.A. (2017, May 21). How and when to reference. Retrieved
from https://www.howandwhentoreference.com.
How to cite a Youtube Video
Bissett, Ariel. [Ariel Bissett]. (2016, May 28). Some thoughts on The Catcher in the
Rye [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRj4R0hgi8w

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APA Format Citation Guide

(Retrieved from https://www.mendeley.com/guides/apa-citation-guide)

Core Components of an APA Reference:

1. APA Referencing Basics: Reference List

 Be on a new page at the end of the document

2. APA Referencing Basics: In-Text Citation

Mitchell (2017) states… Or … (Mitchell, 2017).

Mitchell and Smith (2017) state… Or … (Mitchell & Smith, 2017).

Three, Four or Five Authors:

For the first cite, all names should be listed:

Mitchell et al (2017) state… Or … (Mitchell et al, 2017).

Six or More Authors:

(A guide to citation, 2017).

(“APA Citation”, 2017).

How to Cite a Book (Title, not chapter) in APA Format

Edited book example:

How to Cite a Chapter in an Edited Book in APA Format

Edited book chapter example:

How to Cite an E-Book in APA Format

E-Book chapter example:

How to Cite a Journal Article in Print or Online in APA Format

Journal Article Examples:

How to Cite a Newspaper Articles in Print or Online in APA Format

The basic structure is as follows:

**Only include if the article is online.

Note: the date includes the year, month and date.

Newspaper Articles Example:

How to Cite Magazine Articles in Print or Online in APA Format

The basic structure is as follows:

Magazine Article Example:

How to Cite a Website in APA Format

When citing a website, the basic structure is as follows:

How to cite a Youtube Video

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